The invention relates to a laser system comprising several laser radiation sources, each of which generates laser radiation which is coupled into a first end of a respective optical single-mode fiber, wherein all optical single-mode fibers form a fiber bundle and have second ends lying at a fiber bundle end, the laser radiation exiting from the second ends, thereby forming a total laser radiation field, and further comprising an optical transformation means which transforms the total laser radiation field onto an object.
Such laser systems are known, for example, from WO 94/17575 or WO 94/17576.
In these known laser systems, the optical transformation means is an optical imaging means which images the second ends of the single-mode fibers into an imaging plane onto an object.
The problem herein is that the single-mode fibers have a core and a sheathing and, therefore, the spacings between the individual cores from which the laser radiation finally exits are large. If, as described in the publications mentioned hereinabove, an optical imaging means is used as optical transformation means, with this optical imaging means only the locations at which the laser radiation exits at the fiber bundle end can be transformed onto the image plane as points likewise lying alongside one another.
The obtainable power density is, therefore, limited and so the advantage of these known solutions, namely that of generating a highest possible laser power by a plurality of individual laser radiation sources and uniting their laser radiation to a total laser radiation field, cannot be exploited to the full extent.
The object of the invention is, therefore, to so improve a laser system of the generic kind that a focal point with a highest possible brightness, i.e., power per area and per solid angle, can be generated therewith.